...while out flyering dressed as Gadaafi

Fringe comedian Jeff Mirza says he was hit by a glass bottle while flyering dressed as Colonel Gadaafi.

But it is not clear whether the attack, just off Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, was prompted by Mirza’s garb.

It happened after the man approached the comic and asked for a cigarette. Mirza shook his head and the man continued on, but when the comedian turned around he was struck on the back of the head.

Mirza, 47, reported the incident to the police. He said: ‘Most people at the Fringe get the joke of me being dressed up as a washed-up dictator trying to sell the show. I want to thank the Fringe goers for taking my on-street portrayal of the Gaddafi character in the right way.’

Lothian & Borders Police say they are treating the incident as a minor assault and do not believe it was racially motivated.

Published: 21 Aug 2011